Liturgy Pacific is the on-line presence of Richard Geoffrey Leggett, Rector of Saint Faith's Anglican Church in Vancouver and Professor Emeritus of Liturgical Studies at Vancouver School of Theology. Here you will find sermons, comments on current Anglican and Lutheran affairs and reflections on the need for progressive orthodox Christians to re-claim our place on the theological stage.

34.7
Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
8 As I live, says the Lord God, because my sheep have become a
prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild animals, since there was
no shepherd; and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the
shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep; 9
therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the Lord:
10 Thus says the Lord God, I am against the shepherds; and I
will demand my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep;
no longer shall the shepherds feed themselves. I will rescue my sheep from their mouths, so
that they may not be food for them.

11
For thus says the Lord God: I myself will search for my sheep, and will
seek them out. 12 As
shepherds seek out their flocks when they are among their scattered sheep, so I
will seek out my sheep. I will rescue
them from all the places to which they have been scattered on a day of clouds
and thick darkness. 13 I will
bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will
bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of
Israel, by the watercourses, and in all the inhabited parts of the land. 14 I will feed them with good
pasture, and the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they
shall lie down in good grazing land, and they shall feed on rich pasture on the
mountains of Israel. 15 I
myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says
the Lord God.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks
be to God.

The Psalm

Psalm
100 from Songs for the Holy One.

Refrain
(sung twice):Hallelujah!Hallelujah!Hallelujah!

O all the world!

Raise
glad shots to the Holy One!

Worship
God with joy!

Come into the Presence with ringing
cries!

Refrain:Hallelujah!Hallelujah!Hallelujah!

Be assured the Holy One

is
the God who made us,

the
shepherd to whom we belong,

who feeds us in green pastures.

Refrain:Hallelujah!Hallelujah!Hallelujah!

With thanksgiving enter the Holy One’s doors,

with
praise, the divine courts.

Praise
and bless the Holy Name.

Refrain:Hallelujah!Hallelujah!Hallelujah!

Truly the Holy One is good,

forever
true and loving,

from age to age ever faithful.

Refrain:Hallelujah!Hallelujah!Hallelujah!

The Second Reading

A reading from the First Letter of Peter (2.19-25).

2.19 For it is a credit to you if,
being aware of God, you endure pain while suffering unjustly. 20 If you endure when you are
beaten for doing wrong, what credit is that? But if you endure when you do right and suffer
for it, you have God’s approval. 21
For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving
you an example, so that you should follow in his steps.

22
“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth.”

23 When he was abused, he did not return abuse;
when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he entrusted himself to the one who
judges justly. 24 He himself
bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live
for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were going astray like
sheep, but now you have returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church.

Thanks
be to God.

Hymn before the Gospel

‘Alleluia’Common Praise #715 (‘Alleluia’
refrain only)

The Gospel

The Lord be with you.

And
also with you.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John (10.1-10).

Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

10.1
[Jesus said,] “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold
by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is
the shepherd of the sheep. 3
The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them
out. 4 When he has brought
out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they
know his voice. 5 They will
not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the
voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus
used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was
saying to them.

7
So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the
sheep. 8 All who came before
me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will
come in and go out and find pasture. 10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly.”

It
is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all
places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, for the
glorious resurrection of our Saviour Jesus Christ, the true Paschal Lamb who
gave himself to take away our sin, who in dying has destroyed death, and in
rising has brought us to eternal life.And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of the
resurrection, with earth and sea and all their creatures, and with angels and
archangels, cherubim and seraphim, we praise your name and join their unending
hymn:

Blessed
are you, O God of the universe.Your
mercy is everlasting and your faithfulness endures from age to age.

Praise
to you for creating the heavens and the earth.Praise to you for saving the earth from the waters of the flood.Praise to you for bringing the Israelites
safely through the sea.Praise to you
for leading your people through the wilderness to the land of milk and
honey.Praise to you for the words and
deeds of Jesus, your anointed one.Praise to you for the death and resurrection of Christ.Praise to you for your Spirit poured out on
all nations.

In
the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again,
after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink,
saying:This cup is the new covenant in
my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.Do this for the remembrance of me.

With
this bread and cup we remember our Lord’s passover from death to life as we
proclaim the mystery of faith:Christ has died.Christ is risen.Christ will come again.

O
God of resurrection and new life:Pour
out your Holy Spirit on us and on these gifts of bread and wine.Bless this feast.Grace our table with your presence.Come,
Holy Spirit.

Reveal
yourself to us in the breaking of the bread.Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world.Breathe new life into us.Send us forth, burning with justice, peace,
and love.Come, Holy Spirit.

With
the ever-blessed virgin Mary, blessed Joseph, blessed Faith and your holy ones
of all times and places, with the earth and all its creatures, with sun and
moon and stars, we praise you, O God, blessed and holy Trinity, now and
forever.Amen. [iv]

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About Me

Richard is a presbyter of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster with a number of responsibilities. He is Rector of Saint Faith's Anglican Church in Vancouver. Richard is also the Principal Consultant for Liturgy Pacific, a worship consultancy providing educational seminars and resources for congregational life and ministry. After 23 years as a member of the faculty of Vancouver School of Theology, Dr Leggett became Professor Emeritus of Liturgical Studies in 2010. Since 1989 Dr Leggett has served on various national committees of the Anglican and Evangelical Lutheran churches in Canada and is a regular participant in the work of the International Anglican Liturgical Consultation. From 2010 to 2016 he was a Member of the Liturgy Task Force of the Anglican Church of Canada.